The mystery waterpark in Thua Thien-Hue
This overgrown abandoned waterpark in central Vietnam has become a 'must-see' for adventurous travelers after it was left to its own devices for over a decade.
Ho Thuy Tien, in Huong Thuy town of Hue, was reportedly opened in a half-finished state by a local tourism company in 2004, but it was never completed and was instead abandoned, leaving nature to take over completely.
Some of these images were taken by blogger Courtney Lambert, from Florida, who said she was particularly fascinated by the water park's abandoned aquarium.
'The aquarium is the most impressive structure on the property,' she writes on her blog. 'It resembles a crashed spaceship, a most extraterrestrial specimen sitting pretty in the middle of a gleaming man-made lake.
The guardian of the three-story aquarium is an intimidating, full-bodied dragon sculpture; its scaled coils wrapped protectively around the space ship’s walls in a menacing embrace.
'A massive head and mouth gape at the top, creating a spectacular viewing area where visitors can stare beyond the lake and park from behind fat, jagged incisors.
Ms. Lambert also reveals that after she and other travelers wrote to PETA and WWF about the abandoned crocodiles, the Vietnamese government moved them to a wildlife park in Northern Vietnam.
The Abandoned Church in Nam Dinh Province
A desolate church in Van Ly commune, Hai Hau district, in Nam Dinh province still attracts many tourists and photographers as it is a beautiful spot where the sky, sea, sun, wind, and sand converge. In the past, the coast of Xuong Dien in Hai Ly commune, Hai Hau district had many large and small churches.
However, over time, seawater encroached on the coast and damaged these churches. Parishioners moved the church deep into the mainland three times to avoid the "invasion" of the sea.
The damaged church on the coast of Xuong Dien named Trai Tim (Heart) has been abandoned since 1996. The best time to take photos of the church is around 5 am or 6 pm.
The beauty of old villa in Ba Vi District, Hanoi
Immersed in the quiet spaces are the remaining vestiges of French in Ba Vi, such as the colonel mansion, the collapsed church, and the political prison. Located at an altitude 1,100 m above sea level, the climate in Ba Vi, Hanoi is fresh and cool all the year round. Only 70 km away from Hanoi so right from the early 40s of the last century, Ba Vi was chosen by the French to build resorts for senior military officers.
Today, with over an hour by vehicles, such as motorcycles and buses, Ba Vi becomes a compelling destination for the weekend for visitors who want to find the oasis of peace. For young people who are passionate about photography, the remaining French architecture in Ba Vi becomes the creative inspiration.
Like Da Lat, Sa Pa, and Tam Dao, the French built many villas in Ba Vi, at landmarks 400, 600 and 1,000. The only difference is that they have been destroyed by the vicissitudes of time and life. Therefore, visitors will be surprised about the architectural foundation left from over hundreds of years ago before going into the woods. The resorts, the stoves, the walls, all are covered by forest and mountain dew.
At landmark 600, the colonel palace is a typical French-styled work in Ba Vi, which is still quite intact. It has a barbed wire fence, stone walls of over 2 m high, 0.5 m thick and some submachine gun emplacements.
Going up a little more is the summer camp for children of France and the colonial government officials, including four rows of houses built with a rock. Located amid the natural forests with big trees such as oaks, chestnuts, ca lo, Khao, etc, with hanging orchids above, the landscape here is poetic and magical, attracting tourists to visit and take photographs.
The collapsed church is located at an altitude of 800 m, amid the jungle. Abandoned for years, the roof of the church has gone, leaving the bare cathedral in the forest. On the walls, the cross covered with the color of nostalgia, with afternoon sunlight through the window. Here, the fog always exists, occasionally swooping down and engulfing the church. The green color of moss, the gray color of mold, and the silver color of mist create a magical space.
Only moss walls are left, covered by grass and trees, but with what is left, one can still imagine the wild beauty of the church in the pine forest in the heyday. Today, thanks to the crumbling beauty, the collapsed church in Ba Vi becomes a favorite site for photographers.
At landmark 800, the French also built an orphanage with doorways and arches of distinctive architecture.
In particular, at an altitude of 1,000-1,100 m in the western slope of the Tan Vien peak is the system of political prisons which are built solidly to imprison revolutionaries. The prison is arranged into three zones: zone 1 for the wardens; zone 2 and zone 3 for prisoners. With a total area of nearly 1,000 m2, the prison system in Ba Vi can detain 100-200 prisoners.
Covered with dust and leaves, the French works in Ba Vi always have their own charm, leaving a good impression in the eyes of visitors.
Photo: Chris Staring.
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Ho Thuy Tien, in Huong Thuy town of Hue, was reportedly opened in a half-finished state by a local tourism company in 2004, but it was never completed and was instead abandoned, leaving nature to take over completely.
Photo: Chris Staring.
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'The aquarium is the most impressive structure on the property,' she writes on her blog. 'It resembles a crashed spaceship, a most extraterrestrial specimen sitting pretty in the middle of a gleaming man-made lake.
Photo Instagram: @chrstlbt.
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Photo Instagram: @namthi.le.
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Ms. Lambert also reveals that after she and other travelers wrote to PETA and WWF about the abandoned crocodiles, the Vietnamese government moved them to a wildlife park in Northern Vietnam.
The Abandoned Church in Nam Dinh Province
Photo Instagram: @ha_phamthithu
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@hefang_ruan.
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The Abandoned Church in Nam Dinh Province.
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The beauty of old villa in Ba Vi District, Hanoi
Immersed in the quiet spaces are the remaining vestiges of French in Ba Vi, such as the colonel mansion, the collapsed church, and the political prison. Located at an altitude 1,100 m above sea level, the climate in Ba Vi, Hanoi is fresh and cool all the year round. Only 70 km away from Hanoi so right from the early 40s of the last century, Ba Vi was chosen by the French to build resorts for senior military officers.
@tiemanbinhdan.
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Like Da Lat, Sa Pa, and Tam Dao, the French built many villas in Ba Vi, at landmarks 400, 600 and 1,000. The only difference is that they have been destroyed by the vicissitudes of time and life. Therefore, visitors will be surprised about the architectural foundation left from over hundreds of years ago before going into the woods. The resorts, the stoves, the walls, all are covered by forest and mountain dew.
At landmark 600, the colonel palace is a typical French-styled work in Ba Vi, which is still quite intact. It has a barbed wire fence, stone walls of over 2 m high, 0.5 m thick and some submachine gun emplacements.
Going up a little more is the summer camp for children of France and the colonial government officials, including four rows of houses built with a rock. Located amid the natural forests with big trees such as oaks, chestnuts, ca lo, Khao, etc, with hanging orchids above, the landscape here is poetic and magical, attracting tourists to visit and take photographs.
@Callmetieu
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Only moss walls are left, covered by grass and trees, but with what is left, one can still imagine the wild beauty of the church in the pine forest in the heyday. Today, thanks to the crumbling beauty, the collapsed church in Ba Vi becomes a favorite site for photographers.
@vutri.
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In particular, at an altitude of 1,000-1,100 m in the western slope of the Tan Vien peak is the system of political prisons which are built solidly to imprison revolutionaries. The prison is arranged into three zones: zone 1 for the wardens; zone 2 and zone 3 for prisoners. With a total area of nearly 1,000 m2, the prison system in Ba Vi can detain 100-200 prisoners.
Covered with dust and leaves, the French works in Ba Vi always have their own charm, leaving a good impression in the eyes of visitors.
